GIPPSLAND farmers are angry and at loggerheads with the state government over the rental payments for the massive transmission lines that will cross their property as part of the government’s renewable energy policy.
The government has proposed additional payments to farmers at a standard rate of $8000 per year per kilometre of transmission hosted for 25 years.
The Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, said the new payments acknowledged the hugely important role landholders play in hosting critical energy infrastructure, which is a key part of Victoria’s renewables revolution.
“We want to get the process for planning and approving new infrastructure right, so we can make sure the renewables revolution is a shared, equitable legacy for all Victorians,” she said.
However, the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) demanded the government urgently clarify the rights of farmers set to be affected by the huge expansion of the electricity transmission infrastructure.
VFF president Emma Germano, who is from Mirboo North, said despite the government’s offer of landholder payments, farmers deserved the right to a fair compensation process and the ability to have access to any documents that determine the transmission process, as well as avenues to appeal against transmission lines on their private property.
“We’re demanding the Victorian government urgently clarify on what grounds farmers can appeal, how they can gain access to the materials needed to appeal and who they will appeal to. Regulatory oversight must be independent and transparent,” she said.
“The future of farmers and communities along the hundreds of kilometres of new powerlines is incredibly unclear. We need to know whether the government has decided to steamroll through these projects and what that means.”
Ms Germano said despite numerous meetings with the state government, including as recently as last week, farmers and the community remained in a perilous position.
“The VFF has been calling on decision makers to prepare for the gradual and fair transition to renewable energy and infrastructure since 2019,” she said.
“The reality that we’re now forced to choose between turning the lights on or enjoying produce from some of Victoria’s best agricultural regions is not good enough.”
The new payments will apply to Integrated System Plan (ISP) and Victorian Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) transmission projects, and are in addition to any payments under existing arrangements for transmission easements under the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986.
The new payments, which will first go to landholders in western Victoria, will also apply to the Victoria-Tasmania interconnector (Marinus Link) project and transmission links being developed by VicGrid to connect Victorian Renewable Energy Zones and future offshore wind projects.
In Gippsland’s REZ, a new 500kV transmission line and terminal station are planned to connect generators at the coast back to the existing network in the Latrobe Valley, either at Hazelwood or Loy Yang.
They will connect up to 5000MW of new offshore wind generation in Gippsland.
The link is expected to provide up to 2100 megawatts of network capacity for future renewable energy generation projects.
Marinus Link is a proposed 1500 MW undersea and underground electricity connection to further link Tasmania and Victoria.
It will provide access to 1500 MW of capacity from Tasmania, including pumped hydro storage to provide base-load electricity when needed.
The state government also released a consultation report for a proposed approach to planning and developing this new network infrastructure, the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework (VTIF).
It is designed to give Traditional Owners, local communities and key stakeholders a real voice in the development of new infrastructure so that impacts can be better managed and benefits can be realised, the government says.
The new report summarises feedback received through a six-week process conducted with regional communities, stakeholders and industry representatives, which will be a key input into decision-making on these proposed reforms.
Key themes included broad support for VTIF’s proposals for earlier and deeper community engagement; a new strategic land use assessment to support better decisions on land use; strong interest in a new approach to benefit sharing; and meaningful partnership with Traditional Owners throughout the entirety of the transmission lifecycle.
The VFF will continue to seek further information from the state government regarding this issue.
The consultation report is now available at engage.vic.gov.au/victorian-transmission-investment-framework
